Harness.



G. K. WENIG.

. HARNESS. APPLICATION FILED 16.22, 1907.

906,974. Patented Dec. 15, 1908 Mania; eoryel "@1119! a 111: "calls PETERS 5a., llsnmnrou. n. c

GEORGE K. WENIG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

Application filed August 22, 1907. Serial No. 389,642.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, GEORGE K. WENIG, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harness, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to harness and particularly to the harness such as is used in heavy teaminfg.

More speci cally my invention relates to the connection between the hames, the pole and the hold back strap. Heretofore, this portion of the harness has been so constructed that the continual vibratory movement of the pole, causes the collar to rub and jerk at the neck of the horse to such an extent that the neck is frequently made quite sore. This causes considerable loss to the owner as the horse is disabled for further use until the neck shall heal. Also, in backing, considerable strain is put on the collar through the hold-back strap, and when the vehicle strikes an obstruction, the shock is transmitted. forcibly to the neck or shoulder of the horse.

The object of my invention is to provide a harness of the character mentioned which shall be of such construction that the vibratory motion of the pole will not be transmitted to the collar and which will absorb all sudden shocks when backing.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the improvements in harness hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this speclfication and in which,

Figure 1 is a front view of a portion of the harness embodying my inventlon in its preferred form, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, upon an enlarged scale of the device employed to connect the pole chain and hold-back strap to the breast strap.

Referring to the drawin 1 indicates the collar and 2 the hames. %onnected to the hames is the usual breast strap or breast chain, 3.

4 indicates the pole, 5 the pole chain, and 6 the hold-back strap.

The pole chain, 5 is connected to the breast strap or chain, 3. This has heretofore been a fixed connection, hence, the vibratory movement of the end of the pole causes the collar to continually rub the neck of the horse. To obviate this, I provide the end of the pole chain with a yoke and arrange this so as to be slidably connected to the breast strap or chain. To prevent sudden shocks either through the medium of the pole chain or the hold-back strap I provide a yielding connection between said parts and the breast strap.

I prefer to make the sliding and yielding connection in one. To this end I provide the aforementioned yoke with a snap hook to catch in a ring, by which the pole chain and. hold-back strap are connected, and interpose a yielding connection between the yoke and the snap hook forming an improved breast strap slide.

7 indicates the yoke of the slide. This is preferably a D shaped member provided with a roller, 8, arranged between lts outer ends which. engages with the breast strap, 3. Extending from the yoke, 7, and in the opposite direction from the roller 8 is a stem,9 threaded at the end and provided with a nut, 10.

11 is the snap hook, having formed integrally therewith, the sleeve, 12, which receives the stem, 9. The sleeve is provided with a shoulder, 13, between which and the nut, 10 is interposed a spring, 14; and its opposite end, adjacent to the snap hook, is open to facilitate assembling the device and to give access to the nut for adjusting the tension of the spring.

15 indicates the ring formed at the end of the pole chain and by which said chain and the hold-back strap are connected. It is into this ring that the hook, 11 catches.

It is obvious that as the pole, 4 vibrates from side to side, the connecting device just described, will slide freely on the breast strap and will not jerk at the collar; also, that all shocks transmitted through the pole chain or holdback strap will be absorbed by the spring, 14.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a harness, a breast strap slide comprising a D shaped yoke having a roller arranged between its outer ends and adapted to engage a breast strap, a threaded stem extending from the center of said yoke and in the opposite direction from said roller, a nut threaded on the end of said stem, a sleeve surrounding said stem and having a shoulder formed on the end thereof adjacent to said yoke, and a snap hook formed upon its other end for engaging the pole chain, a spring interposed between said nut and said shoulder, and the outer end of said sleeve adjacent to said snap hook being opened to afford access to said nut for adjusting the same, substantially as described In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 10 two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE K. WENIG.

Witnesses:

H. F. LILLIs, F. E. SHEEHY. 

